Florida Gators Legend Named Among Owners of Future Georgia Hockey Team

The ECHL, a minor league hockey league affiliated with the NHL, is adding another team in Georgia with a legendary Florida Gators quarterback behind the effort. In an announcement from the league, Tim Tebow is one of the owners.

He will be an owner alongside along with David Hodges, CEO of Hodges Management Group, LLC.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to bring hockey back to Augusta with our partnership group,” Tebow said. “We are excited to see this team bring people together from all over the country to enjoy camaraderie, competition, and community impact. Our desire is to make a positive impact both on and off the ice. We can’t wait for the puck drop in October of 2027!”

Georgia will now have three minor league hockey teams: the Atlanta Gladiators, the Savannah Ghost Pirates and the incoming Augusta team.

No name has been announced yet. It has been announced that the team will play its home games at The New Augusta Arena, a 10,500-seat venue currently under construction in downtown Augusta.

Augusta was previously home to the ECHL’s Augusta Lynx from 1998-2008 and the SPHL’s Augusta RiverHawks from 2010-13. The SPHL is a professional hockey league unaffiliated with the NHL located in the Southeastern United States. That RiverHawks team is still in Georgia. They're now located in Macon under the name the Macon Mayhem.

It would make sense that the 2007 Heisman winner would want to get in on the action. The foot print of hockey has been growing. The Ghost Pirates joined the ECHL in 2022 and the Gladiators have been around for over 20 years.

The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) has added two teams in the last few years, the Columbus River Dragons in 2019 and the Athens Rock Lobsters in 2024.

Tebow could also end up being the owner of the ECHL team that eventually becomes affiliated with a potential NHL expansion team rumored to be coming to Atlanta. It would be the third attempt to have a team in the city. The Atlanta Flames (now the Calgary Flames) were around from 1972 to 1980, and the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnepeg Jets) were around from 1999 to 2011.

The Florida Gators have unofficially been in on helping grow the sport in Florida for years now. The club hockey team plays on a rink in Jacksonville, Fla., and competes in national tournaments. They won a national championship in 2024, which got them a shoutout on ESPN.

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